They usually sell absolute cr@p, musically speaking, in Edinburgh Woollen Mill shops (which do pervade across the Border - even one in Sidmouth, Noreen!) Think I'm sounding a bit like Jack there too! But they do have the odd gems: but if you don't know your quality stuff from your "all at 120 bpm singalonga Scots songs with chicka chicka beat CDs" you could buy something you wouldn't give to your worst enemy. If you are in Edinburgh, go to Coda Music on The Mound for a browse: you will find a great selection there and probably come way penniless. (No vested interest I assure you, just a very good shop!)

I agree with Dave Hanson about the lad of shite bit. At any rate I saw it about twenty years ago and was very unimpressed. If it ever comes back on the tv I'll take another look, but I doubt my opinion will have changed.

Hi, Big Al. Welcome to the dark side of the Mudcat. This is supposed to be a site for people who play and sing or who are at least interested in origins or music theory. But you posted something about recordings you were glad to find, and what do you get? Snarky stuff about your typos and vulgar remarks about the CD's.

Some people will do anything to keep from actually listening to music or playing it. After all, to do it, they would have to get off their chairs and break the tube's hypnotic spell. That takes effort and self-discipline.

I love music and play it, and I volunteer my time to help other people play it. I have indeed helped people, but I can't tell you how many times I have killed a thread by posting something (such as a MIDI or a link to the notes) which implies that the dark side will have to get up off its chair.

By the way, I haven't been to the Scottish wool shop, but some of my favorite recordings came from a petrol station on a gray and windswept corner of the Hebrides. Buy folk music wherever you can and help your fellows on 'the road less travelled.'

Bargains in unlikely places (though somebody would have to pay me to take away a Bob Dylan album!) Around the time I was beginning to be interested in live music the guitarist in our skiffle group/jazz band passed a car salesroom in the centre of Liverpool and saw a roughly-painted (black) guitar hanging in the window. He was told it was given in part-exchange for a second-hand jalopy, along with some other bits-and-pieces to make up the asking price. He offered £10 for it, took it home and lovingly restored his newly acquired Martin. Jim Carroll

well its true that the Woody film may not stick to the prosaic facts of history. but its Hollywood film about a communist who happened to be a genius and a hero. For once someone in the establishment was on our side.

From Ronnie Gilbert's recollection of the man - maybe the facts would have uncomfortable watching.

But at least its about someone who gave his talents freely to the world - not some money grubbing monetarist like Thatcher or Gordon Gecko. I'm tired of films making out those sort of people to be heroes.

when the film came out it was not widely available. I saw it in a small arts cinema near Birmingham university. so a lot of people who might have liked to see it - maybe now is their first chance. I remember also in that little arts cinema that day was Nick Fenwick -Geordie folksinger who was teaching in Brum at the time, very talented guy - whatever happened to........?

Following up a sort of drift:- One can sometimes find anomalous things for sale [like CDs in a woolshop] in various places. I have two signed Gwen Raverat woodcuts, with titles in her own hand which both vary from those in the published book of her woodcuts that I possess, which I would guess would enhance their 'collector' value. Original but unsigned pressings of both are listed for sale on sites I have consulted for about £500 each. I got the two for £30 in a Royston estate agents [can't even remember what I was doing there] about 30 years ago, for £30 the two!

Edinburgh Woollen Mill - Not really "a wool shop" (place where you buy knitting wool) - more a big souvenir shop where you buy garments made of wool, tweed, shortbread, whisky, mini-bagpipes and other "tartan tat" - and CDs - and they'll have Scottish music playing in the background. Aran sweaters - Irish, but can be bought in the above shops. (Arran - Scotland - for mustard, perfumes, whisky!)

This seems to be a thread about serendipity. Finding gems where you don't expect them is always good. Finding a reason to howl with laughter is also good, nearly as much fun as singing. Long live typos! Sing levity, sing levity, the water and the wine..

I kind of agree with Tattie Bogle. Here we have both the Edinburgh and Jedburgh Woolen Mills which play non-stop background music. I love Scottish folk music but the stuff played in these shops, and most of the stuff sold, is so hackneyed and uninspired. Tourists must lap it up I presume! They seem to sell a lot of CDs by a singer called Tommy Scott!

Allan, Tommy Scott is/was a house painter from Govan who went to London in the early sixties and formed a record company, Major Minor, with Phil Soloman from Belfast. Tommy produced many top ten artists like, The Batchelors, Lena Zavaroni, Gilbert O'Sullivan and others. He has a pleasant voice and a good ear and recorded many cassettes of himself singing old Scottish favourites in a Country and Western style ... a kind of thinking man's Sidney Devine. Although living in London and mixing in the pop world, Tommy had a great love for Scotland and it didn't take much for me to persuade him to drive to Scotland and record the poet Hugh MacDiarmid recite his own works and those of Robert Burns, a truly classic recording which I edited. I sat in with MacDiarmid in Biggar's recording studio, Glasgow, and turned the pages, in 1967 I think. I choose most of the material and Tommy Scott not only paid for the session and LP production but sent MacDiarmid cheques now and again for an album which didn't actually sell much .. poetry doesn't sell. I had dinner with Tommy about 5 years or so ago and have since lost touch. His wife died suddenly and he went down to the south coast somewhere.